Photography

This was a year of destinations...  it started last year (Nov-Dec 2014) when I  was in Hokkaido for one month... many great memories.  Recently I have been preparing my annual year-end summary of photos... not really a top ten, more like a favorite few.  Before that, I just had to post a remix from the mother of all trips... Hokkaido 2014 Remix

01) Kodak Gold ISO 200

02) Fujifilm Neopan (Acros) 100

03) Kodak Gold ISO 200

04) Fujichrome Professional RDP-III (Provia 100F)

05) Fujifilm Neopan (Presto) 400

06) Fujifilm Neopan (Presto) 400

I have booked another two weeks in the north, flying into 旭川 (Asahikawa) in late February 2016.  The second largest city in Hokkaido is not known as a tourist destination...  but it does have snow and it can be very cold ; )

A photographic look back at over the last 12 months is a useful way... for me... to see what I have done (in an actual as well as technical sense) and think about what I want to accomplish in the New Year... more on that around the year end Holidays.

Casey

I first knew this place through my all time favorite Japanese movie "Love Letter" (1995), which features my all time favorite Japanese actress Miho Nakayama（中山美穂）and two famous actors Takashi Kashiwabara（柏原崇）and Etsushi Toyokawa（豊川悦司）. I saw the movie five times at the cinema, and bought a CD of its original soundtrack and of course a DVD of the movie as well.

I would definitely love to visit the place again in winter.

After some sushi, it's time to stop by Warehouse No.1 and visit the Otaru Beer Hall & Brewery for a nice cold Pilsner...

One of my favorite actors was Ken Takakura (16-Feb-1931 to 10-Nov-2014).  He passed away just prior to my photo shoot in Hokkaido last year...  I enjoyed him in 鉄道員 (Poppoya), the 3rd highest grossing film of 1999 in Japan... location exteriors were filmed in Hokkaido as were a number of his films.

Don't really have a favorite female actor as such... but I have enjoy some of the work done by Koyuki Kato, Kaori Momoi, Mitsuko Baishô, and Setsuko Hara (who passed away on 5-Sep-2015)

Enjoyed your photos... time for you to make another visit ; )

Casey

Mr. Ken Takakura acted Chunichi Dragons' Manager（中日ドラゴンズ監督）. Every fan of Japanese baseball knew that the role is actually an impersonation of Mr. Senichi Hoshino（星野仙一）.

He won the Japan Academy Prize four times... and by 1976 he had already appeared in over 180 films... one of the greats.
NPB can be very interesting... of course I am a big Giants fan... hard to believe that Yoshinobu Takahashi is the new manager... to me he will always be the "Golden Rookie" ; )
Casey

His face certainly ages at a much lower speed than mine. (I'm only 2 years older than him). His look hasn't changed much in spite of all these hard playing years.

back when Mr. was the coach... and of course his time with the Yankees... it was such a class move when on July 28, 2013, Matsui signed a one-day contract with the New York Yankees, and formally retired as a member of the team...
Casey

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It's been a few years since I last vacationed there but definitely a winter wonderland to re-visit again. Fond memories of the people, food (king crabs) and the ice-cream!

Cheers

fernando

great sushi... Seems I visit Hokkaido every year recently ; )
Casey

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I was here a couple of time last year and most likely I will make another visit in February 2016..

in Sapporo I have a preference as well ; )

Casey

for those who follow Japanese professional baseball and know the history, Asahikawa is a special place. Victor Starffin（スタルヒン）, one of the most respected pitchers of all time, fled from Russia at the age of nine to Asahikawa with his family in 1925. He spent his teenage days there until joined the Giants in Tokyo in the mid 1930s. This message has been edited by Luis6 on 2015-12-11 18:51:37

that's incredible... and will not happen in baseball in the current format... I believe that the most US MLB wins in 2015 was 20...
I will definitely stop by the Asahikawa Starffin Stadium ; )
Casey This message has been edited by cshimokita on 2015-12-12 00:29:07

Good way to " rewind " this year and to take new resolutions, my friend. After all, this is a transitional time of the year! 

It's not really a best of, more of my picks for what ever reason... technical, some personal reason, what ever... but I will definitely limit the list to 10 photos maximum. I am hoping that others will do the same... don't have to be shared, but it's a good exercise.
Best, Casey

I believe the red dot was a cross country skier... the photo was taken at Shobu Pond in Nakajima Park... just across the street from my rental apartment.
The night exterior (actually around 5:00 PM) was from Rumoi, average snowfall for December is 126 cm with Mean Monthly Sunshine of 30.2 hours (December)... I was there for three days & two nights and it snowed continuously for all but a few hours... a great photo destination.
Casey

.. i still have these amazing feelings watching your 'Japan' pics ... maybe i should reconsider my next travel-destination and come over to your place ...

You would be most welcomed if/when you visit Japan... A "Triptych Conundrum" of opportunity, ability, passion ; )
I have a good friend who just submitted his entry to the LensCulture Exposure Awards 2015 and I am amazed by his presentations... I would someday like to visit Puerto Rico...
Casey